NY Catholic Priest Removed from Parish for Gambling Away Donations

Rev. Patrick Dunne, who served at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in White Plains NY, has been removed from his duties for misusing church funds.

Rev. Patrick Dunne, of Our Lady of Sorrow Church in White Plains, has been
removed from his Parish for gambling with church money, announced the chancellor
of the Archdiocese of New York.

In the Sunday announcement to shocked parishioners of the church,
Msgr William Belford claimed that Rev. Dunne stole a "very significant
amount of church money because of a very powerful gambling addiction."

Father Dunne, who had served the church for 16 years, left
shortly after Christmas. He is currently in a rehabilitation program, where he
leads daily Mass.

The Monsignor explained that church officials were alerted
to the problem after the archdiocese's financial office called him just before
Thanksgiving, explaining that questionable and undocumented checks from the
church had been cashed.

He says that they don’t yet know how much money was stolen,
but he described the incident as an "enormous shock for the parish and a personal
tragedy for Father Dunne."

Church officials have alerted the Westchester County
district attorney, Janet DiFiore, and Msgr Belford stated that they are
launching an investigation. A spokesperson for the DA's office refused to
comment.

The Monsignor reassured parishioners that church funds were
now safeguarded, and that the misuse of donations had stopped.

Helpful Reading:

Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and his Four Step Program - through mindful awareness you can learn to overcome internet, gambling and sex cravings as you retrain your brain to stop sending such urgent messages of need.